Apparatus for discharging vertical retorts



Oct. 15, 1929. F. B. RICHARDS ET AL APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING VERTICAL RETORI'S Filed Feb. 5, 192

Patented Oct. 15, 1929 nurse srss 1,732.,ildtl PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGIN'G VERTKZA'L RETORTS Application filed February 5, 1926, Serial No. 86,250, and in Great Britain February 7, 1925.

This invention relates to apparatus for extracting or discharging coke from the bottom of a vertical or substantially vertical retort for carbonizing fuel (hereinafter referred to as vertical retort), and has for its object to overcome difficulties which are associated with attaining adequate control over the discharge of the coke.

According to the invention, the column of material in the retort is supported on a surface from which it has substantially no tendency to be discharged merely by the action of gravity, and an extractor placed beneath the surface and operating through openings in the surface effects a positive removal of coke from the bottom of the column by a sweeping movement.

The extractor is preferably a rotating shaft carrying radial arms which, as the shaft is rotated, are caused to move in the spaces between the grid-like device constituting the surface throughout the length of these spaces, so as to produce the desired sweeping movement. These arms are preferably curved in the direction of rotation of the shaft. The known heavy flap or flaps suspended in front of the material on the support in a position out of the paths of the arms, may be used to aid in checking uncontrolled discharge of the coke from the surface.

The coke descends from. the retort in a vertical path until the coke arrives on the support. The arms pass through relatively narrm spaces in the grid with a minimum clearance between the arms of the grid, so that passage of coke between the arms and the grid may be as little as possible.

It is desirable that the action of the arms should be hunted as far as possible to sweep ing the lower part of the column of fuel from the grid and should not have any pronounced lifting effect and in their outward and downward movement should not extend beyond the free edge of the slotted surface or grid; with this in view practically only the tips of the arms are used, so that the resolved movement vertically during the circular movement of the arm is gradually reduced during the operation and the slotted surface tends to clean the arms.

The arms may bearranged helically on the shaft in known manner, or may be placed strictly parallel to each other.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred construction, Fig. 1 being a vertical section through the extractor casing and Fig. 2 a section on line 22 of Fig. 1, parts being shown in elevation and parts having been removed.

The bars a forming the grid are carried by the rear wall 6 of the extractor casing and are inclined at a slight angle, such as that indicated. The lower end of each bar is curved downwards. Hangers 0 constituting flaps for checking the discharge of coke are suspended from bar (Z mounted in the upper part of the casing.

The'distance between adjacent bars a is just suilicient to permit the passage between said bars of the arms a of a hub 7. These arms are curved in the direction of rotation (anti-clockwise in Fig. 1) of the shaft 9 on which the hubs f are mounted so as to rotate with it and said arms are of such length as to be within the free ed go of the grid as they are moved downwardly.

Having thus described the nature of our said invention and the best means we know of carrying the same into practical effect, we claim j 1. Apparatus for extracting coke from a vertical retort, comprising a casing for attachment to the lower end of aretort with its rear wall forming a substantially vertical continuation of a wall of the retort and with its opposite wall oifset from the corresponding wall of the retort, a surface extending forwardly from said vertical wall of said casing to a point approximately vertically below the last-named wall of the retort, said surface having suitably spaced openings and a free edge and forming a support for a column of material in the retort, and means beneath the said surface and operable through the openings in the surface to move material at the bottom of the column towards and dis charge it from the free edge of said surface, said surface having its free edge turned downwardly and projecting beyond said means, and flaps suspended from an axis above the free edge of said surface and positioned to regulate the discharge of coke over the free edge of said surface.

2. Apparatus for extracting coke from a 5 vertical retort, comprising a casing for attachment to the lower end of a retort with its rear wall forming a substantially vertical continuation of a wall of the retort and with its opposite wall offset from the corresponding wall of the retort, a surface extending forwardly from said vertical wall of said casing to a point approximately vertically below the last-named wall of the retort, said surface having suitabl spaced openings and a free edge and forming a support for a column of material in the retort, a shaft rotatable beneath said surface on an axis located substantially centrally of. the retort, and arms carried by. said shaft and spaced correspondingly with mthe openings in the surface, said arms being movable on rotation of the shaft through the openings in the surface at a part thereof which is vertically beneath the retort and towards the free edge of said surface, the free edge :5 of said surface being turned downwardly, and flaps suspended to rock on an axis above the free edge of said surface and adapted to regulate the discharge of coke over the free edge v of said'surface.

3.- Apparatus for extracting coke from a vertical retort, comprising a casing for attachment to the lower end of a retort with its rear wall forming a substantially vertical continuation of a wall of a retort and with 85, its opposite wall offset from the corresponding wall of the retort, a surface'extending forwardly from said vertical wall of said casing to a pointapproximately vertically below the last-named wall of the retort and having its mffree edge turned downwardly, said surface also having spaced parallel slots extending toward said free edge, a horizontal shaft rotatable beneath said surface on an axis approximately centrally of the retort and at a 5- right angle to the slots of the surface, arms carriediby'said shaft, the distance between the axis of theshaft and the surface being less than the distance between the axis of the shaft and-the free ends of the arms, and the 5 arms being spaced correspondingly with the slots of the surface, so that on rotation of the shaft the ends of the arms pass through the slots offthe surface at a part thereof which is vertically'below the retort and move towards the free edge of the surface, and flaps suspended to rock on an axis above the free edge of the surface and adapted to regulate the discharge of coke over the free edge of the surface, said surface being of such a width that the arms when passing through the slots are within the outer free edge of said surface. In testimony-whereof. we have signed our names to this specification.

FRANCIS BARTLETT RICHARDS. [-L.S.]

a5 JAMES wusou REBER. [1,. 5. 

